Films Suitable for Use in College-Level Classes &
Movies Entertaining and Educational for Adults

Each film recommended to be shown in its entirety is a work of art that stimulates thinking while it entertains. Included in this list are some absolutely fabulous movies for which we have not created curriculm materials but which we recommend for college-level students and for any adult.

All That Jazz(1979) MPAA Rating: R; Director: Bob Fosse. This film is ranked #14 on the American Film Institute's List of the 25 Greatest Movie Musicals (2006). This film is listed in the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress as a "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" film. The dancing and choreography are excellent. No curriculum materials have been created for this film.

Bullworth (1998) MPAA Rating: R for sex, drug use, and profanity; Director: Warren Beatty. This hilarious farce tells the story of a U.S. Senator, suffering from depression, who puts out a contract on his own life so that his family can collect on his life insurance. (It was given to him as a bribe by the insurance industry.) Freed from the necessity of raising money for re-election, he starts to tell the truth about many things, including the role of money in politics, why the problems of the black community are not addressed by public officials, violence in the media, etc. Suddenly, he begins having fun and his depression lifts. No curriculum materials have been created for this film.

The Closet(2001) MPAA Rating: R for a scene of sexuality; Director: Francis Veber. This is a very funny movie. It is in French with English subtitles. It details the adventures of a milk toast accountant who becomes someone to take notice of only when he claims to be homosexual to prevent his company from firing him. This movie has excellent messages about acceptance of gays and is a warm and loving film.

Interstellar and Intergalactic Distances (Science & Technology; Astronomy) [10+: middle, high school and college levels; Film Clip: approximately 12 minutes or a shorter clip of approximately five minutes will also work; Lesson: one 50 minute class period.]

Dangerous Beauty (1998) MPAA Rating: R for some scenes of strong sensuality, and for nudity and language; Director: Marshall Herskovitz. This is the mostly true story of Veronica Franco, a remarkable courtesan of Renaissance Venice who wrote beautiful poetry, advised her clients on affairs of state, etc. The story is powerful and reveals much about the oppression of women in past centuries. Note that the overt support given to Veronica Franco by her various lovers in the Inquisition scene is fictional as was the threat of death. The Inquisition in Italy did not usually kill its victims, but would subject them to various punishments including imprisonment, whipping, public humiliation, and house arrest. While Veronica Franco's admirers most probably supported her during her trial by the Inquisition, they acted behind the scenes and without risk to themselves. This film is based upon the Ph.D. thesis of Professor Margaret Rosenthal of the University of Southern California. See her book The Honest Courtesan. Professor Rosenthal tells us that when she shows this film to her college classes, she fast forwards through the scenes depicting sexual activity so as not to distract her students.

Dead Man Walking(1995) MPAA Rating: R for a depiction of a rape and murder; Director: Tim Robbins. What happens when you get very close to a death row inmate who committed a terrible and vicious crime and you still have empathy for his victims? This movie tells the tale and brings up important issues about capital punishment.

Dead Poets Society (1989) MPAA Rating: PG; Director: Peter Weir. This is a film about private school students and a sympathetic teacher who encourages them to seize the day. One of the children ends up committing suicide because he cannot handle the pressures put on him by his parents. The film is beautifully made and many people love it.

E

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1984) MPAA Rating: PG; Director: Steven Spielberg. This film is ranked #25 on the American Film Institute's List of the 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time (2006). It isalso listed in the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress as a "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" film.

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead Not rated; 2010 Directors: Joe Cross, Kurt Engfehr This is a movie that advovates juice fasts as the way to health. TWM doesn't endorse juice fasts and much of the film is merely interesting. However, the movie contains one of the most uplifting true stories of a life redeemed that has ever graced a screen. We won't spoil it, just watch the movie. For a film advocating a physician-designed scientifically based change in diet, see Forks Over Knives.

The Graduate(1967) MPAA Rating: PG; Director: Mike Nichols. This is a great film about coming of age. The protagonist is college age. This film is ranked #7 on the American Film Institute's List of the 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time (2006). It is ranked #9 on the American Film Institute's List of the 100 Funniest American Movies of All Time (2006). This film is listed in the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress as a "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" film.

Grease (1978) MPAA Rating: PG; Director: Randal Kleiser. This film is ranked #20 on the American Film Institute's List of the 25 Greatest Movie Musicals (2006). This film contains great dancing and good music. Note that the film contains gross profanity and three boys are shown mooning.

The Human Rights of Artists (Lesson Plan based on "For Love or Country -- The Arturo Sandoval Story") -- High School and Middle./Jr. High World History and any fine arts curriculum, especially music.

Hysteria(2011) MPAA Rating: PG-13; Director: Tanya Wexler. This movie shows the invention of the electric vibrator by Dr. Mortimer Granville to treat an epidemic of hysteria among middle class and wealthy women by manipulating their genitals until they reached "paroxysm". Marketed to women directly, it became the most popular female sexual aid in history. See, e.g,. Joseph Mortimer Granville, inventor of the electric vibrator for purposes of massage, but which is used by many women as a sexual aid; 'Hysteria' and the Long, Strange History of the Vibrator.

In America(2001) MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sexuality, drug references, brief violence and language; Director: Jim Sheridan. This film makes the A+ list. It's about love and grieving for a child who has died. It has the capacity to help people heal psychological wounds of parents whose children have been injured and who have had to face the prospect of a child's death or paralysis.

Jesus of Montreal (1985) MPAA Rating: R; Director: Denys Arcand. French with English subtitles; a small section is in English with French subtitles. This film is an engaging allegory of the Passion of Christ as reinterpreted by a ragtag group of young actors in Montreal. Hired to "freshen up" a creaking and overwrought version of the Stations of the Cross by a sinner of a priest, the lives of the thespians take on aspects of the story they decide to play, that of the historically documented Jesus (called Yeshu Ben Panthera). This puts them at odds with the priest, who fears that tampering with dogma will incur the wrath of the archdiocese. As the actors immerse themselves in their roles, a dedication to the truths they are conveying begins to transform them. This is especially true of Daniel Coulombe, the actor/director who portrays Christ. ("Colombe" is French for dove, a common symbol of the Holy Spirit). There are many fine touches of allegorical irony: Mirielle, the girl who plays the harlot Mary Magdalene, is afraid that she is nothing but a body to be cast in semi-pornographic commercials. One of the actors who will be "called" to the play is introduced as he is munching a doughnut and doing voice-overs for a hard-core porn flick. "Christ" explodes in rage at a very contemporary and cynical assembly of moneychangers, the flesh peddling commercial film producers. In the end, the gifts of life and love he leaves reflect the core values of the Christian religion applied to an up-to-the-minute reality. While it is clear that the filmmakers intended to produce a testament to the enduring and transforming power of Christ's story, the film may not appeal to conservative Christians who might find the film's implied criticism of the clergy and its challenges to traditional beliefs offensive.

The Lives of Others(2006) MPAA Rating: R for some sexuality/nudity; Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. This outstanding film is about the East German secret police (the Stasi) and the effects of a totalitarian regime on artists. It is an accurate depiction of life in East Germany in 1984 in the sense that good fiction is accurate. The acting, directing, everything is superior. It won an Academy Award in 2007 for best foreign film beating out such great films as "Water". This is a film that should be seen especially in the modern-day U.S., which has increased its domestic surveillance in response to the threat from radical, misguided Islam. The director's voice-over and his interview in the special features are also excellent. The R rating is for a brief and sensitive love scene.

The film presents a view of what life was like in the GDR (Communist East Germany). It seems authentic and truthful. Note that For Love or Country is probably a better film for demonstrating the difficulties of the life of an artist in a totalitarian country. For Love or Country is closer to home, dealing with Cuba and the defection of the great jazz trumpet player Arturo Sandoval to the United States. It shows the angst of the artist hamstrung by a totalitarian regime better than "The Lives of Others". For Love or Country is also an excellent introduction to Jazz and the historical figures of Sandoval and Dizzy Gillespie. Finally, it is rated PG-13 while The Lives of Others is rated R. However, classes studying the Soviet empire, the GDR or the psychology of secret police agencies will benefit greatly from The Lives of Others.

Lone Star(1996) MPAA Rating: R for brief language, sex, and violence; Director: John Sayles. This is a superbly-crafted and well-written detective story that is really about race and ethnic relations in a small Texas county along the Rio Grande. It has a twist at the end that will send your head spinning. It is a good addition to any class on ethnic relations in the U.S., especially Chicano or Hispanic studies.

The Merchant of Venice (2004) MPAA Rating: R for some nudity; Director: Michael Radford. This is an extraordinarily good film. The acting, direction, set design and music are all excellent. Pacino's Shylock is deep and profound. It will be the definitive Shylock for many, many decades. Jeremy Irons' Antonio brings out more than one could ever imagine for this character. Lynn Collins' Portia is brilliant. The other actors in the film are also excellent. There is not a single weak role. The interpretation of the play is extremely rich. It shows: (1) Shakespeare's interest in the problems of revenge, a topic explored in other plays such as Romeo and Juliet and comprehensively dealt with in Hamlet; (2) the conflict between two cultures that live side-by-side but do not know each other; and (3) the contrast of the homosexual attraction between Antonio and Bassanio and the pull on Bassanio of Portia and his marriage vows. For those who would like to use the movie in class, the producers have provided an Official Teacher's Guide. Note that throughout the film the prostitutes of Venice are shown with their breasts rouged and exposed. In addition, on occasion the prostitutes are shown being groped by their clients. This, according to the director, is a historically accurate touch.

Midnight Cowboy (1969) MPAA Rating: R; Director: John Schlesinger. This film is ranked #36 on the American Film Institute's List of the 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time (2006). This film is listed in the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress as a "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" film.

Philadelphia(1993) MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some graphic language and thematic material; Director: Jonathan Demme. This is a breakthrough movie promoting understanding of gay people and those with dreaded illnesses. TWM is considering preparing a Learning Guide for this film.

Snippet Lesson Plans Using Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End

Harmonic Motion (Science & Technology/Physics  harmonic motion) [10+; late elementary to college level; film clips: Pirates of the Caribbean  At World's End: three minutes 30 seconds; Tacoma Bridge Collapse Video on YouTube: four minutes 13 seconds. lesson: Playing the snippets and discussing the examples of harmonic motion described in the Helpful Background section will take about 40 minutes.]

Refraction and the Green Flash (Science & Technology/Physics) [10+; late elementary to college level; Film Clips: one minute and five seconds, in two segments; three additional optional segments total about 50 seconds; Lesson: Adds 30 minutes to a class in which the phenomenon of optical refraction is introduced.]

Requiem for a Dream(2000) MPAA Rating R for intense depiction of drug addiction, graphic sexuality, strong language and some violence; Director: Darren Aronofsky. This film shows the self-destruction of the major characters, young and old, through addiction to heroin, cocaine, and diet pills (speed). At the beginning of the story they have dreams; but by the end they are lost due to their addictions. Watching this movie is a searing life experience that will leave vivid memories and perhaps nightmares for years. TWM recommends that this film be shown to those over the age of 16 who are at substantial risk of becoming addicted to a drug or who are already dealing with an addiction. No guide is necessary for this movie. Just put it on let them watch. For minors, teachers should obtain a release from their parents before showing the film.

Swing Kids(1993) MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and some language; Director: Thomas Carter. Many teachers have recommended this film. "'Swing Kids' is a great movie to illustrate several concepts: propaganda, the HJ (the Nazi version of boy scouts who eventually become officers of the SS), and WWII from a European point of view. The boys are all college friends who love American swing music, which is banned by the Reich because of its ties to Jewish and African-American musicians. They attend covert dances where swing music is played and danced to. Noah Wylie plays a convincing former friend-turned-HJ officer who lulls two of the swing kids into their way of thinking... for a while, anyway. The music is awesome, the propaganda authentic, and the tactics eye-opening. A wonderful movie about the Holocaust, despite some cursing and a scene in which the boys relieve themselves on a poster of Hitler after a night of swing dancing." Suzanne Funk, Teacher, Indianapolis, IN.

White Man's Burden(1995) MPAA Rating: R for strong language and some violence. Director: Desmond Nakano. This is a gripping film with a reversal of roles in which "minority" whites are persecuted by "majority" blacks. Some whites who have seen this film tell us that no other film made them understand what it might be like to be a member of a minority. However, there is some disturbing violence and profanity pervades the screenplay.